Reciprocating slat conveyors are presently being used in a number of environments. They are being installed as floors in the bottoms of truck and trailer boxes for use in both loading and unloading cargo. The types of loads that are moved by a reciprocating slat conveyor vary widely and include liquid laden loads, such as garbage. It is undesirable to allow liquid to drip downwardly from a vehicle while the vehicle is in use. Therefore, there is a need for a reciprocating slat conveyor that is substantially leakproof.
The patent literature includes a number of examples of reciprocating slat conveyors. One example is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,067, granted Aug. 20, 1996 to Raymond Keith Foster. Another is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,569, granted Feb. 1, 2005, also to Raymond Keith Foster.
Typically a slat conveyor is supported by a base structure formed by longitudinal and transverse beams. There is a need for reciprocating slat conveyors having a base structure that is constructed to be substantially self supported making the framework formed longitudinal and transverse beams unnecessary. There is also a need for a reciprocating slat conveyor having a base structure that is capable of withstanding the impact of objects being dropped onto the conveyor from above. It is an object of this invention to provide a base structure construction for reciprocating slat conveyors that meets these needs.